Meet Our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Staff!

Our Brazilian jiu jitsu team is knowledgeable, experienced, and passionate about their sport. We have six team members on board, writing articles, athlete journals, and even workouts designed for BJJ athletes. Here's a little about each team member and the role they play in making Breaking Muscle such a rich resource for BJJ practitioners:

Valerie Worthington

From getting started in BJJ to preparing for the Abu Dhabi World Pros, Valerie's articles and athlete journals have you covered. Valerie is a black belt in BJJ and also co-head instructor of Women's Grappling Camp. Her articles delve into the details of training as well as the psychology of BJJ. Oh, and did we mention she also has her PhD in Educational Psychology and works as a college professor on the side? Valerie's articles are ideal for anyone looking for solid information combined with wisdom, humor, and literary inspiration.

Sally is a BJJ purple belt and founder of the Halifax Women's BJJ Program. She's also one of the best gear review writers we've ever encountered. If you're looking for thorough, honest information about BJJ attire and gear, Sally's your gal. She's also interviewed some pretty big BJJ names like Emily Kwok, Ricardo Almeida, and Seymour Yang. And to top it all off, her training articles are thorough and even include some in-depth statistical analysis for all the BJJ geeks out there.

Samuel Spiegelman has a degree in Exercise Science and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Those two ingredients combined make his articles detailed and perfect for anyone looking to up their BJJ game. From getting back into BJJ after injury, to cutting weight, to fixing your posture, Sam's articles get back to basics with drills, information, and training plans.

Not only is Doug our staff news writer, but he also writes our BJJ & MMA workouts. These workouts are posted three times per week and help BJJ athletes prepare for tournaments through strength and conditioning, GPP, and cardiovascular training sessions.

Jess Papi is a college student studying Exercise Physiology, which means she has a lot on her plate as it is. But somehow she also manages to juggle coaching BJJ and keeping up with her BJJ training, which she journals about here every week. Jess's journals perfectly express her passion for BJJ, and she has a knack for bringing out the humor in life and training as well. And for all those who like to share your BJJ joys and sorrows, Jess also heads up the Twitter account @BJJ_Problems.

Have you ever met someone who trains and competes in BJJ and Olympic weightlifting? Well, meet James Kearns, founder of BJJ Barbell Strength. If you're wondering what that programming would look like you're in luck, because he also shares his training log every week. A seasoned competitor, James has a lot of wisdom to offer newbies and advanced BJJ practitioners alike.